London: World No.1 Novak Djokovic has said that he would be competing with the best player in the world when he appears in Monday`s US Open final with Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

According to metro.co.uk, Djokovic may be the current world No.1 but the Serb admits to being in awe of Nadal, who has dominated the sport since his February return from seven months out with a knee injury.

Nadal is unbeaten in 21 matches on hard courts, previously considered his weakest surface, since his comeback and also won the French Open, the report said. Djokovic said that facing Nadal was always the biggest challenge in the sport, as the Spaniard was fighting for every ball and playing the best tennis he ever played on hard courts, adding that the player was the ultimate competitor.

This is the third time the duo have met in the Flushing Meadows final, with one win each, while other epics included last year`s six-hour Australian Open final, won by Djokovic, and Nadal`s 9-7 fifth-set success in this year`s French Open semi-final, the report added.

Nadal himself said that he would want to play a player against whom he would have more chances to win but that he was involved in some very exciting matches with the Serbian.